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AndyL · 08-21-2011, 02:11 AM

G'day folks,

Ok, as the apples in the backyard are ripening... Time to start thinking of what to do this year (as I still fight with last years attempt - that wont stop fermenting).

Apples are really low on flavor - 5g of mash last year resulted in some good sugar levels, but - we keep adding concentrate to try to get some apple flavor...

We've also got 2 crab apples in the backyard - wondering if I mix up the green apples with the crabs - as they have a really sharp flavor but little sugar content?

Anyone have some suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Julie · 08-21-2011, 11:51 AM

Hi Andy,

It depends on the type of apple you have for flavor, cooking apples will give you more flavor than a eating apple and only don't add any water.

Combining them with crab apple sounds like a pretty good idea, you will definitely get more apple flavor that way.

Add trying adding a small amount of spices to you apple wine, a small amount of cinnamon, cloves and ginger can really compliment the apple wine.

hope this helps

AndyL · 08-30-2011, 12:50 AM

I'll have to grab some shots of the apples in the backyard... No clue what they are, they get some red stripping but are basically green; no matter how long the indian summer runs... Really sweet come first frost, but not much flavor (I have to fight with the kidlet for them; she'll kill off everything she can reach before I can get it

)

Last years batch, the wine has an apple aftertaste, but no initial flavor besides cinnamon (yup, used one of the recipes here that called for it; and some cloves actually).

Think we'll have to try that out... Debating pick dates now begins... I was just out testing, the greens are sweet as always; the crabapples... Well ... How does anyone eat these things raw????

Julie · 08-30-2011, 09:42 AM

AndyL,

By the sounds of it, you have eating apples and not cooking apples. Cooking apples will make a better wine. Try mixiing the crab and eating apples together.

winemaker_3352 · 08-30-2011, 01:52 PM

I agree with julie - add the spices in - it really compliments the apple.

I used Gala and Fuji apples - I had a very good apple taste.

WineYooper · 09-02-2011, 01:36 AM

My trees are loaded this year so am going to start picking this weekend. How can you tell the difference from cooking to eating apples? I have so many trees and do not know what any of them are. This is an old farmstead and there are probably 200 spread around the property in the woods, more than likely from cows and deer. Many of the trees have fruit that is very sour and leave a dry feeling in your mouth when eating and some are so hard they are tough to bite into. I usually cut them open and check the seeds to see if they are brown. They all seem to ripen at different times and think the really hard ones need some cold temps to ripen. Does a refractometer work on apples? Don't have one but plan to purchase one down the road. I know where the good eating trees are, to my taste, so they may be that kind. Don't know! My apple that I made a year was from a mix and backsweetened to 1.03, flavor doesn't jump out at you but it's not bad. Would like to improve. Maybe a different yeast would change it. Used Lalvin 1118 for this. I figure the apples that are dry to the mouth are probably not what I want, thinking they may be low on juice. Last years 6 gal batch started with 4 gal of juice and 2 gal of water then added 6.5# sugar to 1.085, I cored and quartered 54# of apples. Was thinking about all juice this year so will be busy. Thanks for any input.

JasonH · 09-02-2011, 01:44 AM

I don't do this myself, but have a great local orchard that just presses the apples, pours them into gallon jugs, and sells it just like that. This probably ties into the earlier post about not using any water. It really makes a big difference in flavor from juice.

**wood1954** · 09-02-2011, 02:19 AM

Hi, I've found some apples on an abandoned farm that look like they might be golden delicious and taste fantastic. Very sweet cinnamon taste, quite a surprise. We've had a hot dry summer so i think the flavor is more concentrated than normal. Do you think they would be worth working with? they are free and very bug free from what i can tell.

Julie · 09-02-2011, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WineYooper

My trees are loaded this year so am going to start picking this weekend. How can you tell the difference from cooking to eating apples? I have so many trees and do not know what any of them are. This is an old farmstead and there are probably 200 spread around the property in the woods, more than likely from cows and deer. Many of the trees have fruit that is very sour and leave a dry feeling in your mouth when eating and some are so hard they are tough to bite into. I usually cut them open and check the seeds to see if they are brown. They all seem to ripen at different times and think the really hard ones need some cold temps to ripen. Does a refractometer work on apples? Don't have one but plan to purchase one down the road. I know where the good eating trees are, to my taste, so they may be that kind. Don't know! My apple that I made a year was from a mix and backsweetened to 1.03, flavor doesn't jump out at you but it's not bad. Would like to improve. Maybe a different yeast would change it. Used Lalvin 1118 for this. I figure the apples that are dry to the mouth are probably not what I want, thinking they may be low on juice. Last years 6 gal batch started with 4 gal of juice and 2 gal of water then added 6.5# sugar to 1.085, I cored and quartered 54# of apples. Was thinking about all juice this year so will be busy. Thanks for any input.

If the apples are hard or sour to the taste, they are cooking apples and should make a good wine. Don't add any water and yes a different yeast, try lalvin 1122, it will be a more gentler fermentation and should bring out more of the fruit flavor.

Julie · 09-02-2011, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wood1954

Hi, I've found some apples on an abandoned farm that look like they might be golden delicious and taste fantastic. Very sweet cinnamon taste, quite a surprise. We've had a hot dry summer so i think the flavor is more concentrated than normal. Do you think they would be worth working with? they are free and very bug free from what i can tell.

LOL, free always screams "take me" Yes I think it would be worth it,